
I recently started a new project at work. It's with a new team, so the negative thoughts rushed through my mind right on cue. 'Am I good enough?', 'The team will find out that I don't know anything’, 'If I make a mistake, I am doomed!', yes, a bit dramatic, but these thoughts that look harmless at the surface are the ones that can snowball into more ingrained beliefs.
Previously I would let these thoughts simmer and get caught up in the story, which would become a self-fulfilling prophecy, and I would start acting according to those thoughts even though they were not true.
But not anymore!
Now I know there is a way out from the clenches of these negative thoughts. I can ground myself back into my body and my immediate surroundings. I can focus my attention on the present moment and get out of the dream-like state of the negative thought.
As you can imagine, this takes practice and a lot of trial and error, but over time you will begin to see that the negative thoughts will not grab hold of you anymore. They may never go away, but their intensity will diminish, and that is a victory.
We have the power!
We don't need to identify or be captured by our thoughts.
So the next time a negative thought shows up to distract you from showing up as your true self, you know you can bring your attention back to the present moment and be your best self.
How do you tackle negative thoughts when they show up for you? Let's help each other out. Please share your thoughts in the comments.
Stay strong! ✌🏽💜
Rizwan
True!!! Thank you~!
My friend described it as riding the wave of her emotions and thoughts instead of watching the waves crash on the beach and rolling away. Getting caught up in the wave is a different experience versus appreciating the moment's beauty as an outsider.
I use writing to tackle my negative thoughts because I need to get them outside of my mind, or they rattle around in there for some time. So I write, not to show it to anyone or share it, to blurt out everything so I can acknowledge it and let it go. And I doodle.
I used to get into trouble for doodling at school, but it's my way of processing the world around me. So sometimes I doodle to work through it, and if that's not helping, I blurt it out in writing. And if all else fails, I exercise or nap.